When it is not cloudy, the January sky is a clean, rich blue. I tried to combine those elements into the Lonely Tree Series. Moving close to the tree allowed the trees strength and the pattern of its outstretched branches to contrast with the sky. For me, it is a way to show the kind of strength a living thing needs to survive in the cold, vast, Canadian prairies. I think that the tree was allowed to stand out of respect for that very strength.